There’s an ongoing debate among high school British literature teachers about the best British literature curriculum plan. Which is better: teaching British literature thematically or chronologically? Well, I’m here to give the wigged council my opinion. For me, the answer is BOTH. Yes, you can teach British literature chronologically with a theme.
The best British literature pacing I’ve found is to teach chronologically but add diverse, modern, relative pairings that fit with the theme of the core text. I have tried to teach strictly thematically before, and it was a nightmare. My brain just doesn’t work that way. Plus, there are some convincingly logical reasons to outline your Brit lit course chronologically:
- Many ELA standards target language change. Teaching British literature chronologically makes it a lot easier for students to grasp the concept of how the English language has evolved over time.
- Teaching the historical context of British literature is already challenging enough. Doing it out of order makes it even more difficult.
- It’s possible to have benefits of teaching British literature thematically without the complex pacing guide.
You can have the best of both; you can teach in a logical order while adding engaging and inclusive pairings! If I’ve convinced you, keep reading to see how to teach Brit lit thematically as well as chronologically. Here is my suggested curriculum order for a British literature high school class.
Teaching British literature Time Periods thematically:
Anglo Saxon Period 449-1066
Core Text: Beowulf
Theme: Values from around the world
Essential Question: Humanity is built on stories. What do these stories reveal about values and cultural identity?
Engaging + Inclusive Pairings: Epics from around the world and the values they can teach us, excerpts from a modern Beowulf translation by feminist author Maria Dahvana Headley
One valid reason ELA teachers might prefer to teach thematically is so that they can start their school year or semester with a more engaging option than the chronological choice. My remedy to that is to make the first chronological text more appealing. 😉
Enter Beowulf. Because of its archaic language and fantastical Anglo-Saxon setting, it’s easy to be intimidated by Beowulf. But it doesn’t have to be! The translated version is actually an easy read once you (and students) get the hang of it! Because of this, it makes a great first text for scaffolding and review purposes.
Teaching Beowulf can also be a lot of fun with the right approach! Keep reading here to be inspired with engaging ideas for teaching Beowulf.
Medieval Period 1066-1485
Core Text: The Canterbury Tales
Themes: Storytelling for social change, power, and language
Essential Question: Language is power. How can we use ours well?
Engaging + Inclusive Pairings: Code switching, Humans of NY comparison
Linguistics is fascinating to me, and I love studying about language change. Before teaching The Canterbury Tales, one of my favorite pranks to pull on high school seniors is to have them “read” Beowulf in Old English on one of our first days of school. Their reactions are wholesome because many will pretend to read while silently panicking that they aren’t smart enough for British Literature class. It’s always a thrill to reassure them that they are indeed smart enough and that we now need a translated version because of language change.
Side Note: Anytime I mention this prank on social media, I inevitably have people tell me that they DID have to read Beowulf in Old English. This is simply not true unless they are fluent in Old English or translated every word by hand. I won’t nerd out on linguistics here, but it’s impossible for untrained readers to comprehend Old English. It’s an entirely different language!
So, after that encounter with Old English, it’s time for students to see how our language changed to Middle English which is much closer to the language we speak today. 🙂 The perfect text to use with the Medieval Middle English period is The Canterbury Tales. Not only does it provide lots of fun British Literature short stories, but it also gives us a glimpse into Medieval life and the power of language.
You can read more about how to teach The Canterbury Tales in this post: Teaching The Canterbury Tales: Fun, Real-World Driven Lessons for Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
Renaissance Period 1485-1660
Core Text: Macbeth
Theme: Ambition, revenge, loyalty
Essential Question: Is your future determined by destiny or choices?
Engaging + Inclusive Pairings: A Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, Maya Angelou on Shakespeare, poetry pairings about ambition
Macbeth is (bloody) hands-down my favorite Shakespeare play to teach. I love all things Halloween and my DNA results show I’m 25% Scottish so it tracks. Macbeth can be a lot of fun for students too because it lends itself well to performance and creative activities. Students can explore the play through dramatic readings, reenactments, and thematic pairings. Engaging in these activities allows students to develop their public speaking skills and appreciate the play from different perspectives.
You can read more about how to teach Macbeth in this post: Meaningful and Fun Activities for Teaching Macbeth
Restoration Period 1660-1800
Core Texts: A Modest Proposal, Animal Farm
Themes: Political activism
Essential Question: The original late night shows: What does satire say about society?
Engaging + Inclusive Pairings: Mini modest proposals for social change, current issues
High school seniors are sarcastic, sassy, and love a good satire! Teaching British Literature thematically during the Restoration Period is probably the simplest era on this list because it’s easy to have students apply satire pieces like A Modest Proposal and Animal Farm to their own lives and current issues.
Yes, I know that Animal Farm technically belongs in the Modern Period, but this is one place where I’m not a chronological purest. Here are the reasons why I place it here:
- A Modest Proposal makes a fantastic short piece for scaffolding satire techniques.
- This makes it easy to transition to understanding the satire in Animal Farm.
- Adding a novel here breaks up the verse heavy content from the Renaissance period.
If you need more Animal Farm ideas, keep reading here: Teaching Animal Farm Like It’s Your Civic Duty
If you want to download my Modest Proposal resources, click here: A Modest Proposal Satire Study
Romantic Period 1798-1832
Core Texts: Romantic period poets like William Blake, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Themes: Realism vs romanticism, wanderlust, nature vs industry
Essential Question: Can romanticizing your life make you a happier person?
Engaging + Inclusive Pairings: Living poets, Pride by Ibi Zoboi , and more ideas in this post.
Every good poetry unit has a mix of classic poets, living poets, and an opportunity for students to become poets themselves. Studying the Romantic period provides valuable insights into the historical and cultural contexts that shaped the era, including the Industrial Revolution, political upheavals, and the exploration of nature.
Can romanticizing your life make you a happier person or should you face reality?
By engaging with this essential question, ideas of the British Romantics, and modern perspectives, students not only cultivate a deeper appreciation for the beauty of language and literature but also gain a broader understanding of the human experience and the enduring relevance of art across time.
Victorian Period 1832-1901
Core Text: (See notes)
Theme: Questioning humanity and mortality
Essential Question: What happens when science goes too far? What happens when we lose touch with humanity?
Engaging + Inclusive Pairings: Oscar Wilde and more ideas in this post
Much like today with AI and space colonization on the horizon, the Victorian era witnessed unprecedented advancements in industry, technology, and science. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley makes a nice transition from Romanticism to Victorian because the themes relate to issues in both time periods (it was written in 1815 so it falls at the end of the Romantic period).
However, since I’ve always taught on a block schedule, I’ve never had time to squeeze in a whole class Frankenstien study. But, I have done a low prep film study as a way to discuss the themes in this classic.
Keeping with the spooky vibes, I also LOVE shocking students with Robert Browning poems like My Last Duchess and Porphyria’s Lover. If you go this route, this is also a great spot to fit in a modern true crime podcast like Serial (see last section for notes).
Modern Period 1900-Now
Core Text: Lord of the Flies
Themes: War, darkness within
Essential Question: What do we have to fear?
Engaging + Inclusive Pairings: Finding Confidence in Conflict TED Talk with Kwame Christian, Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem “We Wear the Mask”, The real Lord of the Flies: what happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months
There’s an array of modern British literature novels to choose from, but I’m listing Lord of the Flies here because I think it best sums up the focus of the literary Modern Period which is a response to war.
Having not been the best student of history in my high school days, everything I’ve learned about WW1 and WW2 have come from allegories– namely, Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies.
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies offers a fascinating perspective on human nature, the perils of unchecked authority, and the consequences of societal breakdown. By teaching Lord of the Flies and adding thematic pairings, you can help your students to delve into these dark themes while also providing them with hope and a better understanding of what it means to leave a positive impact on society.
If you want more ideas for teaching Lord of the Flies, keep reading here: Meaningful & Fun Activities for Teaching Lord of the Flies
Teaching Brtish Literature For Fun (and a lot of learning)
If time allows, I like to end my British Literature curriculum on a fun note in the form of a podcast series. Here are two of my favorites that I’ve used over the years:
If you want to stick with a linear timeline, this true crime podcast can easily fit in the Victorian Period. In my updated unit plan, I provide lots of pairings that fit nicely into a British literature pacing guide such as Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle. However, be warned that one desperate year I used Serial in the middle of the semester rather than the end, and we never recovered. The content is so captivating that it’s difficult to top.
I know that this award-winning podcast has the word “America” in the title, but it can easily work with British Literature too. That’s because the theme of the podcast is world-wide unification. This podcast is gold for reaching a cumulation of themes and as many reviewers have said, it’s a joy to teach.
I hope this post has helped you plan to teach British literature thematically as well as chronologically. If you want your entire British literature curriculum planned and ready to go, check out my British Literature Bundle. Rather than reinventing the double decker bus wheel, you can sip tea and watch reruns of Downton Abbey because your planning is DONE!
We all know English teachers are magical, but what’s your biggest ELA engagement superpower? Take this quiz to find out!
